US Patent 9973257 RF slave repeater management

A communication system where wireless devices communicating with an access node may be communicating either directly with the access node, or via a heterodyne repeater. A heterodyne repeater relays communications transparently such that operation of the access node may not provide the ability to distinguish which wireless devices are communicating directly from those that are communicating via the heterodyne repeater. The system determines whether the wireless device is communicating either directly with the access node, or via a heterodyne repeater. When a wireless device is communicating via a heterodyne repeater, the access node selects a radio resource control configuration adapted for communication via a heterodyne repeater to be used with that wireless device.